Garnacho: What is his potential?

[Rojofiam]

That's wild given he's already shown himself to be a level above both those players thus far.

What do you mean by "level above"? Mainoo hasn't even played that much for starters, and it's not like you can directly compare the 3 of them either way. What I meant by that last sentence was that I can see Mainoo being one of the best number 8s and Hojlund being one of the best strikers around 3-4 years from now. With Garnacho, I think he can be a solid player who can play a part in an elite team at his peak but I don't see him reaching the level of Mbappé, Vinícius, Leao, last year's Rashford, peak Son, peak Mané, etc.

Current ability doesn't mean that much because a lot of times development isn't linear for young players and their age isn't the be-all and end-all of things when profiling one of them.

 

[Salt Bailly]

A level above Mainoo? Not so sure about that. Mainoo was the biggest talent in the FA Youth Cup winning side in my view.

Mainoo looks like real deal for sure but he's only played a handful of games. Garnacho has proved his worth over a couple of seasons now. Hojlund...well the jury's still out.

 

[Salt Bailly]

What do you mean by "level above"? Mainoo hasn't even played that much for starters, and it's not like you can directly compare the 3 of them either way. What I meant by that last sentence was that I can see Mainoo being one of the best number 8s and Hojlund being one of the best strikers around 3-4 years from now. With Garnacho, I think he can be a solid player who can play a part in an elite team at his peak but I don't see him reaching the level of Mbappé, Vinícius, Leao, last year's Rashford, peak Son, peak Mané, etc.

Current ability doesn't mean that much because a lot of times development isn't linear for young players and their age isn't the be-all and end-all of things when profiling one of them.

Maybe I worded it wrong. I mean he has proved himself already whereas the others are still new to the first team.

 

[Remember the geese]

Mainoo looks like real deal for sure but he's only played a handful of games. Garnacho has proved his worth over a couple of seasons now. Hojlund...well the jury's still out.

That's because Garnacho is older than Mainoo. It was very obvious since I first watched Mainoo a couple of years ago that he was a quality talent.

 

[Rojofiam]

Maybe I worded it wrong. I mean he has proved himself already whereas the others are still new to the first team.

Garnacho is definitely more established than those 2 and he's a goalscoring outlet as well, so my opinion is that he's better suited to a dysfunctional, injury-ridden side like we are right now and he can bail us out of trouble like he did the other day. Mainoo and especially Hojlund will truly shine if/when we are actually good as a unit together.

 

[Oscar Bonavena]

Lots of potential but a few aspects of his game he needs to work on in my opinion.

Physically, he needs to bulk up big time. I think that goes without saying.

Loses the ball too easily for my liking. Ok, part and parcel of being a winger you could say, but for example late in the game last night, he tried to do a silly trick on the sideline and the ball went out of play when we were trying to run down the clock. No need for it, just keep it simple.

Finishing needs to improve, notwithstanding the 2 goals last night. Well, not so much finishing, but remaining composed and maintaining the correct technique when presented with a goalscoring opportunity.

For example v Liverpool, he either needed to run across TAA when he was through on goal, or else shoot with his left where TAA couldn't get a foot in. Instead he shot too early on his right which allowed TAA get a toe poke to the ball and the chance was gone.

Then v WHU, he either needed to sweep the ball home first time on his right, or else first touch with the left, finish with the right. Instead bad technique trying to control and finish with the right and practically tripping himself up.

Harsh assessments of those 2 goal chances you might think, but 1v1 chances away from home against tough opposition need to be put away if we have aspirations for this kid to be amongst the world's best.

If he can improve on those aspects of his game he could end up a very special player. I guess we'll know in 5 years if Real Madrid come sniffing round!

 

[RedRonaldo]

I think it’s extremely hard to compare 2 young players playing in totally different role/position.

But yeh, I think both Garnacho and Mainoo has the talent/potential to become top 5 players in the world in their respective position in future.

 

[JeffFromHK]

If everything clicks he could reach Son or Mane potential.

But it is very far reaching to compare him to Ronaldo, or even Mbappe. I don't think he will be a serious ballon d'or contender. As good as players like Rooney/VPS/Ruud/Son/Pires/Robben/Bale/Giggs were, they had never been serious contenders for ballon d'or.

 

[Eriku]

If everything clicks he could reach Son or Mane potential.

But it is very far reaching to compare him to Ronaldo, or even Mbappe. I don't think he will be a serious ballon d'or contender. As good as players like Rooney/VPS/Ruud/Son/Pires/Robben/Bale/Giggs were, they had never been serious contenders for ballon d'or.

Hard to be a serious contender during Messi and Ronaldo’s heyday, tbf. Doubt we’ll see anybody monopolise the Balon D’or like that in the coming years.

 

[Teja]

Some overrating going on but :shrug:

There's definitely enough there to become a starter for United if he improves his finishing / decision making. Anything beyond that is up to him.

 

[Hound Dog]

Nani was a fantastic player but it took him ages to fill Ronaldo's boots and imo only really shined around 2010

Yes, thats the level I am thinking. Or, as someone else said, Son. So very good but not world class.

 

[Isotope]

As long as he follows his footballing idol's proffesionalism path religiously. He can emulate him in a United shirt IMO. Especially how CR7 was in 2007. Thats the kinda winger player he can consistently be and become our Salah.

Mate, I'd even settle for Messi's level.

 

[RedRonaldo]

Let’s not comparing everyone to Ronaldo or Messi. They only happened once every 50 years or so.

I agreed Garnacho could be new Bale/Giggs/Robben/Pires/Nedved/Son, which would be excellent for us.

 

[Fahad Jawaid]

Despite his two goals, he is still very raw and ideally should play 30 mins as an impact sub against tired legs, but due to our options we are playing him every match.

He is physically not ready, plus his decision making, selfishness (going for shots from awkward angles instead of squaring it)and finishing is very hit and miss (two one on one chances against Liverpool and Westham) you can’t afford that if you want to have a top 4 finish.

We are a team which is in transition and we create what 2 to 3 chances all game, we can’t afford a player in the front 3, whose finishing is very hit and miss and can’t be relied on fully at this stage.

He needs to improve very quickly and improve his decision making drastically. Frankly this is on manager that we are relying and putting a 19
Year old under soo much pressure, fair play to him for grinding it out but we need more and consistency if we were to get top 4.

 

[OrcaFat]

Wow….i mean I think Garnacho is decent at 19 but I’m not sure he’s shown enough to warrant most of the praise he’s getting here. There’s no real aspect of his game that seems like it will suddenly develop in to top class - when I saw certain abilities from the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Rooney, etc it was obvious from the off, even for opposing fans.

So far to me he seems like a boy who’s got a lot of spirit and isn’t overawed by occasion (both great qualities) but he’s not a great passer, dribbler, crosser, dribbler etc, he’s just not BAD per say at any of those things either.

A long way to go and ideally he will be able to develop in to whatever he’s going to be without silly expectations from our own fans.

I assume most of the hyperbolic posts are tongue in cheek. He’s not at the same level as those three guys you mentioned (Owen is another who springs to mind). They were all exceptional.

Garnacho hasn’t played many games but showed a lot of quality at times and has delivered end product. He is raw, excelling in flashes. To my eyes he is an elite talent. To put him up with Messi and Ronaldo would be something else entirely.

 

[davidmichael]

Players like Messi and Ronaldo rarely come around as in my lifetime I can only think of Maradona, Zidane, Brazilian Ronaldo and Ronaldinho being up at that level also so I doubt Garnacho reaches that level but saying that did any of us really believe Ronaldo would be a 5 time Balon D’or after his first couple of years with us ?

I can see Garnacho definitely being as good as Kanchelskis was for us who I think really flies under the radar now of how good he really was for us but I think Garnacho’s level will be similar to that of Pires, Ribery, Robben, Giggs and Hazard so a top PL winger who can dominate a game and win a game alone but not best in the world status although that aforementioned group played in the days of Zidane, Ronaldinho, Messi and Ronaldo so the bar is lower now.

 

[Scottynaldinho]

His potential is Alexis Sanchez.

 

[Red the Bear]

If he adds a few yards to his sprint and significantly improves his final third decision making i think he can become one of the best wingers of his time and it should be no mean feat considered the competition.

As it stands he kinda lacks the explosiveness to get past defenders consistently without them catches up and his final third thinking can get a bit iffy reminisce of rashford at his worst, the good thing is he's pretty young so he should hypothetically be able to improve those things or at least one.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

His potential is Alexis Sanchez.

Yeh feel like that could be a good shout and really a perfect player to model himself on. Hardworking, quick acceleration, a good finisher. I think Garnacho is the kind of played that should be targeting 20 goals a season because he’s got the tools. I’d say he’s a more talented player than Rashford and look how many goals he’s managed.

 

[massiveissue]

His potential is Alexis Sanchez.

This is a very good shout, but Alexis was still 3 levels above where Garnacho is, even at 20-ish, playing in Italy.

At the moment, Garnacho is a good young player who's on a high and that should be kind of it. He is fast, has a knack for being in the right place, works hard but, the same way you can look at the negatives in his game and turn the coin around.

I do not see the "this kid is special" talent I've seen when Greenwood popped up.

 

[DWelbz19]

The best thing about him is his doggedness — his head never drops and he always wants the ball. As some have said I don’t think there’s a specific quality of his game that stands out as elite, which sort of caps your giddiness of being like “omg he will super quality” but let’s see!

 

[Remember the geese]

This is a very good shout, but Alexis was still 3 levels above where Garnacho is, even at 20-ish, playing in Italy.

At the moment, Garnacho is a good young player who's on a high and that should be kind of it. He is fast, has a knack for being in the right place, works hard but, the same way you can look at the negatives in his game and turn the coin around.

I do not see the "this kid is special" talent I've seen when Greenwood popped up.

There's a big difference between being 19 years old and 21/22 years old, which was what Sanchez was when he first started to become a big player in Italy.

Greenwood was/is a bigger talent than Garnacho. No shame in that. Garnacho can still be a top player if he works hard enough.

 

[massiveissue]

There's a big difference between being 19 years old and 21/22 years old, which was what Sanchez was when he first started to become a big player in Italy.

Greenwood was/is a bigger talent than Garnacho. No shame in that. Garnacho can still be a top player if he works hard enough.

Yeah, sure, nothing against the man, he can still go straight to the very top. Hopefully we don't jinx anything.

 

[Chicharito_]

If everything clicks he could reach Son or Mane potential.

But it is very far reaching to compare him to Ronaldo, or even Mbappe. I don't think he will be a serious ballon d'or contender. As good as players like Rooney/VPS/Ruud/Son/Pires/Robben/Bale/Giggs were, they had never been serious contenders for ballon d'or.

He isn't explosive enough pace wise to be at Son/Mane level sadly, I can't see this dramatically improving as it's more of a natural thing rather that something you can work on.

His ball control and close dribbling isn't exceptional but still very good, he just has incredible tenacity, work rate, belief, confidence and that can take you a long way but not world class levels.

I said when Januzaj was coming through that he wouldn't have the pace to make it at United and got crucified but turned out to be correct, really hope I am wrong with Garnacho but we shall see. He will need to develop other areas of his game immensely to reach the levels some are expecting in here, I hope he does but for now I am sceptical.

 

[Remember the geese]

I said when Januzaj was coming through that he wouldn't have the pace to make it at United

This was our failing as a club. Using him as if he was the new Ronaldo, as opposed to what he actually was, a playmaker. He never needed pace to play the role he was naturally suited to.

 

[Skills]

He isn't explosive enough pace wise to be at Son/Mane level sadly, I can't see this dramatically improving as it's more of a natural thing rather that something you can work on.

His ball control and close dribbling isn't exceptional but still very good, he just has incredible tenacity, work rate, belief, confidence and that can take you a long way but not world class levels.

I said when Januzaj was coming through that he wouldn't have the pace to make it at United and got crucified but turned out to be correct, really hope I am wrong with Garnacho but we shall see. He will need to develop other areas of his game immensely to reach the levels some are expecting in here, I hope he does but for now I am sceptical.

I think he could develop his finishing to become extremely reliable in front of goal and then also improve his movement to be someone who positions himself to attack balls across the box. The best thing about that would be, he could play that role either from the left or right.

 

[lex talionis]

The boy has the potential to be world class, but obviously none of us have any idea whether his potential will turn into actual. At 18 Garnacho showed more onon the pitch than Ronaldo at 18 — many wrote him him off as bag of tricks merchant — but expecting Garnacho to be even 75% the player Ronaldo was at 21 or 28 is not realistic.

 

[noodlehair]

Players like Messi and Ronaldo rarely come around as in my lifetime I can only think of Maradona, Zidane, Brazilian Ronaldo and Ronaldinho being up at that level also so I doubt Garnacho reaches that level but saying that did any of us really believe Ronaldo would be a 5 time Balon D’or after his first couple of years with us ?

I specifically remember thinking Ronaldo would be the best player in the world once he figured out he could just run towards the opposition goal and shoot rather than prat around in ineffective areas. His talent was beyond blatant and he clearly had the mentality to go with it. It was just whether it would happen while he was still at United or not.

Garnacho is nothing like that at all, which is no slight on him as the only other players I can remember seeing who were comparable to Ronaldo at his age are Rooney and Messi, and more recently Mbappe. Players who were already better than nearly every other player on earth before they hit 20.

Outside of that it's still very hard to judge a player at 19. Martial looked like he'd be a world beater at 19 and now wouldn't even be good enough to start for the likes of Wolves. Pogba looked like he'd be the new Zidane and now he's banned himself from football. Salah was a mid card player until his mid 20s and is now one of the best players in the world. Drogba was a laughing stock in his first year or so at Chelsea and no one knew who Harry Kane was at 19, etc.

Garnacho has a fair bit of talent and at the moment has the work rate to go with it, so assuming he doesn't lose the latter just a case of seeing where it can take him.

Players like Rashford make me wary because at Garnacho's age he'd always work himself into the ground. Now he rarely does and its whats held him back from reaching Salah/Mane type level imo.

 

[VP89]

Garnacho to me is good at most aspects but very good particularly at dropping his shoulder to beat a player stood infront of him. That opens him up to many opportunities, which elevates his game better than most.

 

[RedRonaldo]

He isn't explosive enough pace wise to be at Son/Mane level sadly, I can't see this dramatically improving as it's more of a natural thing rather that something you can work on.

His ball control and close dribbling isn't exceptional but still very good, he just has incredible tenacity, work rate, belief, confidence and that can take you a long way but not world class levels.

I said when Januzaj was coming through that he wouldn't have the pace to make it at United and got crucified but turned out to be correct, really hope I am wrong with Garnacho but we shall see. He will need to develop other areas of his game immensely to reach the levels some are expecting in here, I hope he does but for now I am sceptical.

What do you mean, Garnacho is very fast and has so much more pace than Januzaj for sure.

 

[Castia]

Massive prospect for a 19 year old. One of the best attacking prospects in Europe without a doubt.

 

[VP89]

What do you mean, Garnacho is very fast and has so much more pace than Januzaj for sure.

Nah Garnacho isn't that fast in my opinion. He's not slow either but I've seen him enough now to know he's not someone who will beat some top full backs for pace. Maybe I'm wrong, but the way trent caught up at the Anfield game and knicked it off him was one example from a few.

 

[El Jefe]

All these huge names being mentioned are unrealistic. Let’s look right at home, will he end up being a better Manchester United player than Rashford?

Naming players like Sanchez, Giggs, Son and Mane is extremely optimistic. They are the best LWs too ever play in the league.

Rashford and Garnacho broke through at a similar age and Rashford’s first 60 odd games were better.

 

[RedRonaldo]

All these huge names being mentioned are unrealistic. Let’s look right at home, will he end up being a better Manchester United player than Rashford?

Naming players like Sanchez, Giggs, Son and Mane is extremely optimistic. They are the best LWs too ever play in the league.

Rashford and Garnacho broke through at a similar age and Rashford’s first 60 odd games were better.

Its difficult to compare as you are talking about a player who has been highly inconsistence (very high highs and very low lows), in fact he is already better than Rashford (the shit version) this season. But can he also reach the height of Rashford as of last season? If he could he (his peak) would be up there with the other huge names being mentioned.

 

[El Jefe]

Its difficult to compare as you are talking about a player who has been highly inconsistence (very high highs and very low lows), in fact he is already better than Rashford (the shit version) this season. But can he also reach the height of Rashford as of last season? If he could he (his peak) would be up there with the other huge names being mentioned.

What Rashford is doing now is irrelevant.

I’ve seen many 19/20 year olds in the league have a better breakthrough than Garnacho so I’m just a bit lost with all the level people expect him to be at. Rashford being one of those 19 year olds and he’s hardly a world beater.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

His potential is Alexis Sanchez.

This is a good shout as a peak honestly. Sanchez in his prime was a pain to deal with. I've actually gone for Martinelli as a more reachable outcome which would still be an excellent player but if he got to Sanchez level thats a fantastic outcome.

I don't think Garnacho quite has the technique to reach the highest of levels and really become an elite player, but he can definitely be a level below that.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

All these huge names being mentioned are unrealistic. Let’s look right at home, will he end up being a better Manchester United player than Rashford?

Naming players like Sanchez, Giggs, Son and Mane is extremely optimistic. They are the best LWs too ever play in the league.

Rashford and Garnacho broke through at a similar age and Rashford’s first 60 odd games were better.

Him surpassing Rashford wiill probably depend on how he develops the creative side of his game. Rashford basically never did, and was always a shoot first forward that was inconsistent as a finisher. If Garnacho can become a decent crosser/creator while also continually developing his finishing he'll surpass Rashford.

 

[Remember the geese]

I've actually gone for Martinelli as a more reachable outcome

The funny thing is Garnacho has more goals this season than Martinelli.

 

[Solius]

He's got just the right amount of 'underthinking' if that's a word. Misses a chance and it will instantly just leave his mind and he goes again, and again. Like a blissfully unaware puppy.

Whereas someone like Rashford would miss a chance and get in his own head about it.

 

[Chicharito_]

What do you mean, Garnacho is very fast and has so much more pace than Januzaj for sure.

Yes he has more pace than Januzaj but defenders aren't going to be scared of his pace like they are/were with Mane and Son. Football these days is dominated by 1v1s and to be a world class winger I think you need to have scary pace unless you have incredible ball control/dribbling/balance like Saka for example but I don't think Garnacho is that type of player.